


five times

by elyndis



Category: Saving Face (2004)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:10:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyndis/pseuds/elyndis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Wil and Vivian babysit Wil's sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	five times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thecarlysutra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecarlysutra/gifts).



“It’ll be just like date night, but with a baby,” Vivian sets her bag down next to the couch and clicks her tongue at Wil’s baby sister, who waves one chubby fist in response. “Or a sleepover. Those are fun!”

“Ma never let me go to sleepovers as a kid. She said she trusted me, but not other people.”

Vivian shrugs one shoulder. “Even better – I’ll show you the best sleepover of your life, and you’ll learn to love your baby sister.”

“I do love her, I just don’t know if I’m equipped to care for her, that’s all.”

“Why are you worrying? You’re a doctor, you literally save human lives.”

“I’m a trauma surgeon, not a pediatrician, Vivian.”

“Stop worrying so much.” Vivian takes the gurgling baby from Wil. “Your sister is adorable. What’s her name?”

“Yi-Hwa. But I’ve mostly just been calling her baobao.”

“And the cutest baobao you are, aren’t you?” Vivian smacks a loud kiss against the baby's cheek, and the baby giggles in response. “Plus, she’s the easiest age to watch right now. Self-sufficient enough that she can entertain herself for short periods of time, but she's not walking yet so you don’t have to run after her.”

Wil huffs out a laugh. “I can’t believe you’re calling an eight-month-old self-sufficient.”

*****

It’s barely nine in the morning and the coffee shop down the street from Wil’s apartment is already filling up.

Wil glances around the small shop from where they’re standing in line, Yi-Hwa propped up on her hip. “Hey, do you wanna grab us seats, and I’ll order?”

“Sure,” Vivian accepts the squirming baby from Wil, pulling a face to make her laugh.

“Awww, your baby is adorable!” the woman in line behind them coos, smiling at Yi-Hwa, who stares back with wide eyes.

Vivian beams back at the woman. “Thanks!” And then she’s gone before Wil can react, weaving through the crowd in search of seats.

Wil finds them tucked into a corner table by the window. Vivian takes one sip of the vanilla latte Wil passes her and sighs happily.

Wil can’t think of a delicate way to broach the subject, so she just leads with a blurted “What – was that?”

Vivian looks up from inhaling her coffee. “Hmmm?” She follows Wil’s nod in the direction of the counter. “Oh, the thing with the woman?” She shrugs. “It was just easier to agree than to explain. Do you mind?”

“No…no, I don’t mind.” And Wil finds that she doesn’t, though she can’t quite articulate why. She takes a sip of her own coffee to clear her mind.

*****

Wil blows out a breath and wipes the sweat off her forehead, pushing the key to her apartment into the lock and easing the door open. She doesn’t usually mind climbing the neverending flights of stairs in her building, but she’s in a hurry today. She was supposed to be home hours ago, but there had been complications during surgery, and as a result Vivian had been stuck babysitting her sister for hours alone. And Vivian adores Yi-Hwa, no doubt about it, but Vivian does not enjoy Wil being late to places because of work.

She hears Vivian’s tinkering laugh as she makes her way into the apartment, followed by a voice she recognizes. She rounds the corner to find Vivian and Jay sprawled on her couch with her sister propped up on a veritable throne of pillows between them.

Jay spots her first. “Wil, tell Vivian about the time you got a nosebleed on a roller coaster.”

Wil groans. “That was told to you in confidence!”

Vivian cranes her neck for a kiss hello. “Am I not special enough to know?”

Wil scoffs and leaves an extra kiss on Vivian’s cheek. “You’re super special, promise.”

At Vivian’s puppy dog eyes, she relents. “Fine. It was during my residency days…”

*****

A gust of wind blows the heavy front door of the dance studio closed after Wil, the bells tied to the door ringing loudly. Across the room her baby sister waddles in a circle, a bright pink tutu cinched over her onsie.

Vivian’s trying, and failing, to take a picture of Yi-Hwa, who refuses to stay still. Upon seeing Wil, she changes direction and barrels into her leg, gurgling.

Wil ruffles her sister’s hair, blinking as the flash from Vivian’s phone goes off. “You’re starting her young, huh?”

“Psh, she’s a born performer. Won’t stop looking at herself in the mirror.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s because she’s a baby.”

Vivian leans back on her elbows. “Whatever. I know talent when I see it. And she’s adorable. Gonna be a heartbreaker someday.”

Yi-Hwa waves one chubby fist in agreement, then tries to stuff her tutu in her mouth.

Vivian sighs. “Well, she’ll get there. I was an awkward child once, believe it or not. I wasn’t always naturally graceful.” She gets up and almost drops her phone in the process.

Wil smiles fondly at both of them. “No, you? Super graceful.”

*****

Wil lingers by her sister’s crib and watches her for a second,  snuffling softly in her sleep, mouth slightly open. She went down easily, eyelids fluttering closed barely a lullaby and a half in.

It’s easy, a routine by now. It’s worlds away from the first time they did this, her and Vivian.

As if sensing her thoughts, Vivian pads into the room and rests her head on Wil’s shoulder.

“Whatchu thinking about, Willis?”

Wil nudges Vivian with her shoulder, huffing out a breath. “Will you stop?” She pops the _p_ close to Vivian’s ear.

Vivian sticks out her tongue in response. “You stop it.”

Wil eyes the pillow on the armchair by the crib, then thinks better of it. “I’m just…thinking about this.” She waves a hand over the crib, the entire room at large. “For us someday. I think I’d like it.”

For a long moment the room was silent save for the sound of breathing.

“Me too.”

Wil ducks her head to meet Vivian’s eyes. “Even though I’m late half the time?”

“Yeah. I think we can make it work. I’m flexible.” She silences Wil with a look before she can make a comment. “I mean it. But I get to pick the first baby’s name.”

“First? Like _more than one_ first?”

“Well, yeah. If you want to get to pick a name too. Something that starts with S though, I’m thinking Satchel for our first one, and I want them to match.”

Wil swipes the pillow off the armchair, but Vivian’s already halfway out of the room, giggling as she goes.

“Come back here! I’m not letting you give our future baby a weird name!”


End file.
